Efficacy of Carboxymethyl Cellulose as Fat Replacer on the Processing and Storage Quality of Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese

Processing and storage (4 ± 1°C) quality of Low-fat buffalo mozzarella cheese (BMC) was evaluated with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as fat replacer. Five treatments of BMC viz. Control full-fat cheese (6.0% milk fat; CFFC), Control low-fat cheese (<0.5% MF) without CMC (CLFC), Low-fat cheese with 0.2% CMC (LFC-1), 0.4% CMC (LFC-2) and 0.6% CMC (LFC-3) were comparatively evaluated. Melting time increased, whereas hardness and chewiness decreased with CMC in BMC. Sensory panellists awarded LFC-2 highest and lowest to LFC-3, however treated products at all selected levels were superior than CLFC. Oxidative and microbial stability was improved in LFC-2 than CFFC during storage. Results concluded that 0.4% CMC is optimum for the development of extended shelf life functional BMC.